Fee: Free.
Registration: Advance registration encouraged. Click here to register online. Work days are weather-dependent. If you have registered in advance, we will contact you if we are cancelling due to inclement weather.
Lynden’s monthly Garden Work Days resume in April with the annual spring cleaning of the formal garden. Whether you are looking for a few hours of volunteer work or want a regular activity that keeps your hands in the soil, you are welcome to join us once a month on Thursday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon. Projects vary from month to month as you get to know Lynden’s specialized garden spaces: see the full list below. No experience necessary. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their favorite gardening gloves and digging tools (if you have them)! Water, snacks, and additional tools will be provided.
Looking for more outdoor volunteer opportunities at Lynden? Join us for our weekly Wednesday Work Days
Land Stewardship at Lynden
The Lynden Sculpture Garden is transforming its natural habitats and formal landscapes into sustainable and diverse ecosystems that highlight their natural beauty. Our goal is to steward healthy habitats for an array of native plants and wildlife while adding a vibrant mosaic of color and texture to this sculptural landscape through every season. With over 40 acres and more than half a dozen specialized garden spaces, the Lynden provides many volunteer [link to volunteer page] and learning [link to workshops page] opportunities, from removing invasive species to planting new trees and plugs, weeding, pruning, collecting, and spreading seeds. With a small land staff, volunteer help is essential to the evolution and restoration of the Lynden grounds.
Schedule
April 24
Join us for the first formal gardens work day of 2025. Aside from the cheerfully blooming bulbs and budding trees, there is not yet much color in the gardens. However, this is a critical time of year for gardening. On this work day, we will enjoy some fresh spring air while clearing away last year's stems and fallen leaves that served as shelter and protection for sleeping insects, critters, and soil microorganisms over the winter. We will prep the gardens for fresh plantings and give re-emerging plants the sunlight and space they need to grow.
May 22
In May, we will assist artist-in-residence Kim Khaira with seeding and spring cleanup in her tinctorial garden (a garden of plants that can be used in natural dyeing). Work alongside Khaira and the land team to continue with the removal of any remaining invasive species, as well as spreading seed for new dye plants to grow. Khaira will introduce the native plants she has chosen for the garden, including the significance of the seeds chosen, and talk about their many uses beyond their role in natural dyes.
June 26, 10 am-12 pm
Now that the fragrant lilac bloom has ended, it's time to prune all the dried-up buds. Pruning spent lilac buds helps promote the growth of more flowers next year. Spend a couple of hours in the formal gardens with us sprucing up the lilacs and learning about blending native and non-native plants to enhance the beauty and pollinator value of the aesthetic gardens here at the Lynden.
July 24, 10 am-12 pm
Upon your arrival at the Lynden Sculpture Garden, you are greeted by a picturesque waterfall and formally landscaped hill, home to an array of unique shade-loving perennial species, evergreens, and shrubs. Waterfall Hill has undergone many changes as we work to incorporate this small ecology into the larger Lynden landscape and to create a design that serves as an introduction to the tranquillity and the excitement that unfolds across the grounds. One month into summer, we are knee-deep in peak growing season and could use your help keeping Waterfall Hill tidy.
August 21, 10 am-12 pm
On the western edge of Lynden’s formal gardens, leading up to and embracing The Bremen Town Musicians, is our annual display garden. This traditionally styled garden plays with symmetry, structure, and color using annually grown plant species—species that don’t survive the Wisconsin winter--and it changes each year. Annuals play an important role in feeding pollinating insects because they bloom throughout the growing season. This is also a garden that accentuates a sculptural focal point, making an impact on visitors. In addition to acknowledging that flowers play an important role in pollination and visual engagement, we also like to understand and encourage the many functional uses of the plant communities we engage with. As we weed, prune, and deadhead the annual garden, we will be collecting the plant detritus to create floral teas or bath soaks to take home.
September 25
The stone path leading up to the patio is nestled between an evolving native shade garden and a sprawling beech tree that is more than 100 years old. In the spring we introduced 10 new species to this garden to expand plant diversity for the other living species we host at the Lynden and multi season visual appeal for a healthier and more beautiful environment for all. Now in September, we will be removing thistles and dandelions and sprucing up this welcoming walkway. We will also let you in on our continued plans for this area.
October 23, 10 am-12 pm
In October, we prepare the formal gardens for winter: a final round of pulling thistles and dandelions, pruning trees and shrubs, and responding to the ways plants have evolved, spread, or struggled in their current locations. The majority of the dormant plants will stay in place throughout the season, or as long as possible. The hollow stems benefit overwintering insects, seed heads provide food for birds, the plant skeletons house garden critters, and we are able to enjoy some extra color in winter’s palette. We will also sow the annual bed with a cover crop of rye, oats, peas, and radish to reintroduce nutrients, protect the soil from harsh winter winds, and avoid compaction by encouraging root growth. Join us on what is sure to be a beautiful day in the gardens.
November 13, 10 am-12 pm
In November, we shield the soil from the harsh winter conditions by spreading fallen leaves and tucking in all the bare spots within the gardens. This leaf mulch—which we will till into the ground next spring before planting--will protect the top layers of soil, reintroduce nutrients, and boost fertility for next season’s barrage of flowers. Join us for one last garden work day as we say goodnight to the gardens until spring, jump in crisp piles of leaves, and enjoy the musty scents of autumn.
